the tale of a fallen star [DNP!!]

[ivyy.]

𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅'𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆

(entry for COTN #100)

A goddess is demoted from the Heavens for committing a heinous, awful crime. She must receive forgiveness from the leaders of the stars before they are forgiven for their unruly sins. They are sent to the lands they sourced with their treachery as a last ditch effort of mercy, what will become of them?

a playlist for your travels...

[ivyy.]

𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕

Stars flickered alight as gentle eyes fell closed, the world swirled into a misty, distant lavender haze- one of an unavoidable sweetness so addicting one could never ask to leave. Eyes glittering with a thousand questions, the dimming violet sky gave no such answers. Wind ruffled their fur, heart thrumming against an agonized chest. Was it fear or apprehension that kept such a beautiful creature silent? A voice boomed, thunder and lightning flashing in the suddenly graying violet space. Drifting, they whipped around, feet floating on what seemed to be air, the ground below and empty expanse, one they could not escape.

"You have wronged us, creature."

Small pupils grew smaller still as a flash of anxiety spiked their heart. "Who's there? Show yourself!" The voice, however, did not appear, leaving the purple void feeling emptier in it's wake, a feeling of terrible, horrid guilt overwhelming the drifting soul as it whirled around looking for the voice's source.

"You don't deserve to see us for we are disappointed in what you've become. You've spoiled this land beyond all measure, cursing it with your jealousy and greed."

The floating, all-knowing creature remained nervous still. They knew exactly what was done and yet did not entirely cower in the facing of their consequences. They didn't need to cower when their fear showed clear as the sun rising in the sky. Reaching out with a desperate grasp, the creature revealed their new form to themselves, one of a feline covered in lovely markings almost reflecting the beauty of the violet abyss. "What... what have you done? I don't deserve this! Please!" Desperate cries echoed painfully into nothingness. It was already decided by the stars long before they made their grave decision of treachery. "Please give me another chance, I'll make it right!"

"No. You do not deserve such a gift of a second chance."

The grim voice found it's way into the void once more, the bleeding violet skies growing more gray and thunderous as the words swarmed the mind of the Traitor, their eyes still darting wildly from side to side as they absorbed each and every vowel that was announced. How could such a higher being curse them in such an awful form? Looking behind themselves, two twin tails flicked into view, their long, lucious fur only disgusting the mysterious being more. Lifting a... paw, they observed the spotted pads with horror. They were a God! How could this be their punishment when they were above all living creatures? A prophet among their own kind, living gracefully among the stars- how could they be diminished to such an awful, disgraceful form? It was unheard of.

"You must face the consequences of your actions and spend a lifetime- a million, if necessary, to fix the wrongs that you have done in any way possibly. You deserve this. You are no longer a God among Gods. You will be lowered to the lands you have cursed- the lands you have soiled!"

The voice spoke with the utmost disgust and fury, striking the most certain fear into even the most arrogant being. The previously lazy clouds drifting along formed into a massive paw, similar to the four that now decorated their new form. Claws made of lightning unsheathed and lifted above the head of the new being, a threatening shadow shocking the creature as they looked up, staring in wonder and horror as they recognized their fate. Expulsion. Death. Call it what you will, this would be the end of their story- to be lost among the stars and unconscious, unknowing and irrelevant, they no longer possessed the powers they had before.

"As a show of the stars endless mercy, a guide will find you where you rot on the mortal dunes. Return to the living and fix what has been broken!"

Worse than death, they were being turned into a mortal creature. One with pathetic size and tiny claws and fangs as weapons. One of irrelevance, one that would only die in a short amount of time after living a boring and difficult lifespan. Their fate sealed as the giant paw decorated with angry, gray hues swirling into a scary blackness promising an unforgettable punishment, one they were unable to escape. The paw lowered with such force, the creature only cowered now, accepting their punishment for breaking the rules and cursing the mortal land below. As the blackness of the stormy outline met the Traitor, one word echoed through their mind, the raw fury of the previous voice still present in such a small, meaningless word.

"Juno."

[ivyy.]

𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅

With a yowl, what had seemed like an awful dream evaporated. A thin mist swirled around her brain, her vision foggy and distorted as her eyes blinked open with an unfamiliar slowness. "What...?" Her voice croaked and the word echoed in her mind once more, reminding her of her new purpose among these unfamiliar mortal grounds.

"Juno."

Gritty and uncomfortable underneath her, a pale yellow landscape and agressive sun brought her back to the reality of her situation. Head still aching, her new form allowed her to lift herself onto her paws into a crouching position. Claws digging into the loose landscape, her blue-blood orange eyes devoured the scene ahead of her. Bones, dunes the size of hills... a few sparse, rocky fields here and there. This was the desert, the biome she was least familiar with. Grunting in a new, unfamiliar pain, she squinted against the furious sun. Was everything against them?

Cursing, she discovered a tree shaded most of her body from the harsh sunlight, barely any clouds littering the clear, blue sky. Aching, they made it to their paws, an uncomfortable and warm amount of fur covering their new form from head to toe. Just great. Digging their claws further into the gritty sand, she gave herself a quick looking over to ensure no physical abrasions or bruises may have littered her body. None, she concluded, legs and head still bitterly aching. A small breeze stirred her furry mane, grateful for the short-lived brush of coolness. Opening her bone-dry maw, she managed to speak her first words, her voice raspy yet feminine.

"My name is Juno now."

Closing her eyes in her attempt to chase away the pain in her limbs and heart. This wasn't fair. And yet- guilt still drained any energy from her body. How could she have let herself break the Code? Let alone be cast away from her fellow Gods and Goddesses? Shaking her head, they stood cautiously and stretched their limbs, testing the muscles flexing underneath her unfortunately dense pelt. Every moment she spent remaining in place felt like agony. She had to get out of here. She needed to earn the stars' forgiveness.

[ivyy.]

𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

Eyes squinted against the glaring sun, Juno gathered her strength and continued on. No water in sight since she had risen from her place in the sand, she was utterly parched. Her maw hung agape slightly, breathing heavily as her fluffy chest heaved with the effort of trotting in the sun. It seemed as if no other being belonged to this dry, wretched arena. Only patches of dead grass and stones littered the weaving dunes for as far as her mortal eyes could see. It was different, the feeling of exhaustion and the way the heat bore against her spine, forcing her to feel uncomfortably warm in the terrain that surrounded her. It was painfully unfamiliar, and she wished she had never cursed herself to such a punishment.

Pausing for a moment, she lifted her open mouth to take in the sharp scents that filled her nose. No noises echoed through the barren valley, just swirling scents, all of which she couldn't exactly pinpoint. With no particular destination or guidance from her fellow gods, she was alone in these lands, that much was clear. Still growing accustomed to the soreness in her muscles and the brutal warmth of the sun, she made her way down the dune she had paused on, determined to find a way out of this nightmare before it may drag her into its endless sands. Stirring the sand with her paws, the land stretched on. For the entire day, she traveled like this. Only pausing for a moment's notice before continuing on her misadventure.

---

Night came and the valley of sand fell even more eerily silent, it's dunes casting intimidating shadows that reminded her of her initial sentencing to her newly dead surroundings. Even more worrying, the noises that accompanied dusk. Howling, yipping, and the snapping and snarling of hungry predators seemed to echo off of every dune. Juno stayed readied on her feet, unafraid of some mere, mindless mortal fiends. But with her new state in mind, it seemed she misplaced her confidence in the world around her. After scaling the last dune before the sun disappeared, she was close to collapsing. Having spent a majority of the day walking in such aggressive heat, it had completely sapped her energy and the determination that had filled her that morning. Death seemed less like a burden and more of a gentle embrace, one that could permit her back to the Heavens where she had belonged all along. Or would it? Would she be cursed to eternity on Earth? In this world where predators roamed, and resources were rare?

Her mind dwelled on the thought for a while longer as she found a pile of rocks to rest behind, their vanishing shadows allowing her little no cover from the sight of others roaming these open lands. Juno picked at rocks buried in her fluffy paw pads, her mind a foggy haze. The appearance of the moon granted her relief, the dropping temperatures a welcome gift. A loud yowl echoed nearby and startled her from her grooming, was that a canine? The echoes of howling, shaky and predatorial followed the yowling, the sound of stirring sand giving the elegant she-cat goosebumps.

Cowering pressed against the rock pile, she tried to blend in with the gray and yellow of her hiding spot, digging a small hole between the two lowest boulders and sticking her bottom half inside. Juno imagined they weren't blessed to have a discreet pelt color in this vast land of browns, golds, and the occasional grays so she improvised as much as possible. After all, her own survival was key. Before she could even blink, the sand where she half-hid under shuddered, small grains raining down from the boulders and rocks above her, showering her head and pelt in more sand. Heart racing, she watched silently as two small figures climbed the dune in front of her, distant blurs as they grew closer. Three canid forms made of sandy tones followed them, even from her distance she could see their tongues lolling and the fangs catching moonlight.

Remaining where she was, the cats disappeared, only reappearing when they had managed to scale the dune she had hid on. Other felines! There were others like her in this lifeless territory? She watched on nervously as the cats raced towards the rocks where she was hiding. Mind going blank with fear, her eyes rounded as the cats seemed to notice her form hunched half-buried in the sand.

[ivyy.]

𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬

As the cats drew closer to her, it seemed the pair of cats were... laughing? No, that couldn't be right. How could a couple of cats be laughing while being actively hunted by a trio of starving coyotes? Blinking slowly, she didn't move, confusion stirring within her blurry mind. Once they drew within a clear ear shot, they still ran directly at her, the coyotes now appearing at the edge of the dune where the cats had appeared. The tom of the two, a slightly less confident brown tabby, opened his maw as he locked eyes with the barely hidden Juno.

"Come on! They'll snatch you up otherwise!"

Still faltering, she continued to stare at the swift cats, her mind no longer a blur as she weighed her options, fight or flight? Or succumb to death's constant grip on this empty desert? The answer seemed clear, fight. Maybe this is what her Punisher had wanted, her ultimate demise. If she were to die, she'd feel honored to do it in honor of these brave survivors. Albeit they seemed a little hollow-headed, laughing so clearly in the face of danger, recklessness allowed their survival, so she should tempt the same fate. She knew in her heart that she wouldn't ever be allowed back into the Heavens. She wouldn't ever be allowed to see her lover ever again.

"You know this is forbidden. Goddesses and Gods cannot intermingle, let alone fall in love with each other."

Her lover's words echoed in her mind, a soft and gentle comforting whisper among the chaotic storm that raged, the fog of exhaustion replaced by the solemnity of a knowingly cursed being. Gods and Goddesses were forbidden to explore the unknown lands of loving, even affections- it was even more unheard of for a Goddess to feel such things towards another. Eyes glittering with disappointment, she recognized the coyotes as the Gods chasing after her. The felines they were chasing were only pawns in their horrid game of ultimate punishment.

"They'll kill you if they discover how you... how we feel about each other."

Juno lifted herself from the burrow of sand she had created for herself. Shivering with the grief and frustration of being forbidden to feel these feelings- being punished for something she couldn't control made her not only sad but furious. She couldn't believe everything, including her love, was taken from her because she fell for the other Goddess. It was insulting.

Digging her claws firmly in the sand, the couple of cats stared at her confusedly, their laughter fading into quiet pants. Juno lifted herself and took several steps forward towards the pack of coyotes, her eyes locked on the trio of slobbering murderers. In their eyes, she saw their malice shining. The malice of the dozens of Gods and Goddesses Juno had called her companions, her friends. The grief had faded, replaced by a burning fury, her paws felt as though they were on fire as she tore past the pair of darting cats straight at the pack of coyotes. Her eyes burned with tears- tears she had never been formally allowed to express in the heavenly skies she had called home for thousands of years. The same Heavens, she had given her first life, her mortal life, to protect.

They didn't deserve it. Heavens above, how did she never understand this? She didn't want to go back. Juno wanted vengeance. She wanted her mate, her love, back. Dying wouldn't allow her to achieve those things, but at least her fury would be shown as she tore into the idiot, slobbering canids before her. The canids her ex-companions would be possessing. The pair of cats had skidded to a halt now as they watched the mysterious, she-cat, blinded by a wave of fury and hatred, pick up her pace and leap towards the coyotes, her paws slamming into the sand.

Under her, the ground crumbled and shook, and Juno's paws burned, almost in a pleasant manner—almost comfortingly. The coyotes ran straight for her, distracted from the other cats who stood yowling and racing after her, unwilling to see her lose her life.

Drawing closer, her eyes glowered at the canids with the anger of a thousand suns; the sand under her grew warm. Opening her maw, a roar escaped her throat, shaking her whole body and seemingly spooking the coyotes. Fear flashed in their black eyes, a fast-fading flash in the void of disappointment.

Reaching out her claws, a flame burned at them. It seemed they hadn't stripped her of everything.

Claws against fur, a blazing fire erupted.

Singed fur and whiskers.

Plumes of smoke.

Heat.

This was where the wind took her.
To her death.